Geranium plant named ‘Free White’

ABSTRACT

A geranium cultivar particularly distinguished by green foliage, white flower color, and semi-double flowers on large umbels, fast rooting and exhibits vigorous growth.

GENUS AND SPECIES

Pelargonium hortorum.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Free White’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of geranium,botanically known as Pelargonium peltatum Bailey, and hereinafterreferred to by the cultivar name ‘Free White’. The new cultivar ispropagated from a seedling resulting from the cross of 7407-2 a whiteflowered, unnamed and unpatented proprietary line and 6745-3 a whiteflowered, unnamed and unpatented proprietary line.

‘Free White’ is a product of a planned breeding program intended tocreate new geranium cultivars with white colored flowers, semi-doubleflower form, green foliage, vigorous growth and superior cuttingproductivity.

The new cultivar was created in 1997 in Gilroy, Calif. and has beenrepeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings in Gilroy, Calif. andGuatemala over a two and a half year period. It has also been trialed atGilroy, Calif. and Andijk, The Netherlands. It has been found to retainits distinctive characteristics through successive propagations; andthis novelty is firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new geranium plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographwhich shows blooms, buds, and foliage of the plant in full color, thecolors shown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventionalphotographic procedures.

FIG. 1 shows overall plant habit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘Free White’. The data which defines thesecharacteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out inGilroy, Calif. The plant history was taken on five month old plantsgrown in 8 inch pots, blossomed under natural light in a greenhouse andcolor readings were taken in the greenhouse in Gilroy, Calif. Colorreferences are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society of London (R.H.S.).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Classification:

Botanical.—Pelargonium peltatum.

Commercial.—Ivy Geranium.

Form: Upright, yet trailing, spreading.

Height:

From soil level to top of plant (excluding blooms).—13 cm.

From soil level to top of umbels.—24 cm.

Width: 65 cm; if lateral branches are outstretched the width is 90 cm.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant: 13 weeks.

Outdoor plant performance: Good weather tolerance, strong growth.

Time to initiate roots: 7-8 days.

Time to develop roots: 25 days.

Root description: White, slightly pubescent, fibrous yet coarse.

The Leaves

Length: 4.5-7.0 cm.

Width: 6.0-9.5 cm depending on age.

Apex description: Acute.

Base description: Cordate, two bottom lobes are sagitate.

Shape: Peltate, 7 lobed with acute apice.

Margin: Entire, ciliate.

Texture: Lightly pubescent, somewhat succulent.

Ribs and veins: Palmate, 4.0-4.5 cm long.

Color:

Upper side.—Yellow-green RHS 146A with a darker zone of 0.5 to 1 cm inwidth in the center of the leaf that is brown RHS 166B.

Under side.—Yellow-green RHS 146B.

Ribs.—Yellow-green RHS 146C.

Veins.—Yellow-green RHS 146C.

Petiole length: 4.0-7.0 cm depending on age of the leaf.

Petiole diameter: 1.0-2.0 mm.

Petiole color: Yellow-green RHS 144A.

Lateral branch length: 23.5-42.0 cm.

Internode length:

On young growth.—2.0-4.0 cm.

On older growth.—5.0-7.0 cm.

Lateral branch color: Yellow-green RHS 144A.

The Bud

Diameter: 7.0-8.0 mm.

Length: 1.6-1.8 cm.

Shape: Elliptic.

Color when sepals first divide: White RHS 155D with areas of light greenRHS 150D.

Number of sepals: 5-6.

Length of sepals: 1.6-1.8 cm.

Width of sepals: 4.0-6.0 mm.

Apex description: Cuspidate.

Base description: Truncate.

Sepal color in an open flower: Upper and lower are yellow-green RHS146B.

The Flower

Bloom season: Continuous throughout the year in greenhouse or Zone 9climate.

Size: Approximately 5.0-6.0 cm in diameter.

Form: Polypetalous, semi-double shape.

Petals/petaloids: 11-14 imbricate petals, 1-3 petaloids; Shape:spatulate.

Apex shape: obtuse.

Base shape: Attenuate.

Margin: Entire, slightly undulating (serrulate).

Upper petal/petaloid color:

Upper petal surface.—White RHS 155D with a macule and 2 vertical stripesapproximately 2 cm in length extending from the macule to the petal basewith a color of dark pink RHS 66A.

Petal under surface.—White RHS 155D with stripes approximately 2 cm inlength that are dark pink RHS 66A.

Petaloid color.—Upper surface is white RHS 155D with stripes of darkpink RHS 66B and lower surface—white RHS 155D with very faint stripes ofdark pink RHS 66B-C.

Surface texture: Papillose (Satiny).

Lowerpetal/petaloid color: Upper petal color is white RHS 155D with veryfaint stripes of dark pink RHS 66B and 66C; underside of petals is whiteRHS 155D. Upper petaloid color is white RHS 155D with stripes of darkpink RHS 66B; and underside is white RHS 155D.

Color change with age: May turn slightly pink RHS 69C with age or coolnight temperatures.

Pedicel length: Approximately 3.0-3.4 cm.

Pedicel color: Yellow-green RHS 144A.

Flower persistence: An open flower will hold it's petals until theflower begins to dehisce, or approximately 7-10 days.

The Inflorescence

Type: An umbel composed of approximately 7 flowers.

Diameter: 8.0-10.0 cm.

Depth: 5.5 cm.

Peduncle length: 11.0-11.5 cm.

Peduncle color: Yellow-green RHS 144A.

The Reproductive Organs

Anthers: 7-8.

Anther color: Red-purple RHS 60C prior to anthesis.

Filament color: Dark pink RHS 69A.

Lengths of anthers and filaments: Anther— 0.3 cm; filament 1.2-1.7 cm.

Pollen amount and color: Moderate orange RHS 25A.

Pistil: 1 with a length of 1.0 cm.

Stigma: 5 linear lobes with a color of pink RHS 66C.

Style: 4.0 mm with a color of white RHS 155D.

Ovary: At anthesis, densely pubescent with white hairs, oblong, greendrying to a light brown at maturity.

Seed number: Maximum of 5 per spike.

Seed length: 4-5 mm.

Seed width: 1.0-1.5 mm.

Seed color: Grey-orange RHS 177B that may darken with age.

Disease and Insect Resistance

No susceptibility to diseases or insects noted to date.

Comparison with Known Cultivars

‘Free White’ has a more branched, controlled spreading habit than 7407-2and has a more vigorous, weather resistant growth than 6745-3.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of geramium plant as shown anddescribed herein.